HIGHLANDS COUNTY SHERIFF'S
OFFICE ABOUT TO GIVE AN UPDATE
ON THE DEPUTY KILLED IN THE
LINE OF DUTY, LET'S LISTEN IN
TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE
TODAY, BEFORE WE GET STARTED I
WILL MAKE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION,
TO MY LEFT AND YOU'RE RIGHT ALL
THE WAY TO THE END IS MAJOR TIM
LETHBRIDGE, THEN MAJOR DARREN
HOOD, NEXT TO DARREN IS MY
UNDERSHERIFF, MIKE BROWN, NEXT
TO HIM, THE 10th JUDICIAL
CIRCUIT STATE ATTORNEY, MR.
BRIAN HAAS.
I AM PAUL BLACKMAN AND I AM THE
SHERIFF.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY,
WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT NOT
ONLY FOR THE HIGHLANDS COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE, BUT FOR THE
CITIZENS OF HIGHLANDS COUNTY
AND MOST OF ALL, OUR HERO,
DEPUTY SHERIFF, WILLIAM GENTRY.
I WOULD LIKE TO START BY DOING
A SMALL RECAP OF WHAT BROUGHT
US HERE TODAY , THEN WE WILL GO
FROM THERE.
ON MAY 6, 2018, AT ABOUT 7:45
PM, THE HIGHLANDS COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE DEPUTIES
RESPONDED TO A CALL IN THE
PLACID LAKES AREA OF LAKE PLACID
. THIS CALL INITIALLY WAS
DISPATCHED AS A NEIGHBOR
DISPUTE BETWEEN TWO NEIGHBORS
WHERE IT WAS ALLEGED THAT ONE
NEIGHBOR HAD SHOT ANOTHER
NEIGHBOR'S CAT.
DEPUTY SHERIFF, WILLIAM GENTRY
AND HIS TRAINEE RESPONDED TO
THE AREA AND ARRIVED AT THE
AREA AND MADE CONTACT WITH THE
INITIAL COMPLAINANT AND THROUGH
A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION IT
WAS DETERMINED THE PARTIES
INVOLVED.
THE DEPUTY SHERIFF LEFT HIS
TRAINEE AT THE ORIGINAL
COMPLAINT IS RESIDENCE --
COMPLAINT IS RESIDENCE AND
WALKED A SHORT DISTRICT 2 234
BALTIMORE WAY NORTHEAST WHERE
HE MADE CONTACT WITH THE OTHER
HALF OR THE SUSPECT IN THIS
PARTICULAR INCIDENT.
DURING THE CONVERSATION,
DEPUTY SHERIFF, WILLIAM GENTRY
MADE CONTACT WITH THE SUBJECT
AND DURING THE CONVERSATION HE
WAS RUNNING HIS INFORMATION
THROUGH OUR COMMUNICATIONS
CENTER AND WAITING FOR
INFORMATION TO COME BACK ON
HISTORIES AND WHETHER HE HAD
VALID IDENTIFICATION. SOMETIME
DURING THAT CONVERSATION, THE
SUSPECT REDUCED A SMALL CALIBER
HANDGUN AND SHOT DEPUTY SHERIFF
GENTRY IN THE HEAD.
DURING THAT TIME,
SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE TRAINEE,
WHO WAS ACROSS THE STREET AT
THE NEIGHBORS HOUSE HEARD THE
SHOTS FIRED AND IMMEDIATELY RAN
TOWARDS THE RESIDENCE AND TOOK
UP A PLACE OF COVER AND WAS
CALLING FOR DEPUTY GENTRY TO
RESPOND, SHE DID NOT GET A
RESPONSE.
AS SHE WAS CONTINUING TO CALL
OUT FOR HIM, A SECONDARY DEPUTY
ARRIVED ON SIGN -- SEEN, DEPUTY
SHERIFF SUTHERLAND, THEY BOTH
APPROACHED THE HOUSE WITH
WEAPONS DRAWN IN ATTEMPT TO
MAKE CONTACT. DURING THE
APPROACH, THE GARAGE DOOR OF
THE RESIDENCE THAT WAS CLOSED,
STARTED TO OPEN AND DEPUTY
SUTHERLAND SAW AN ELDERLY MALE
ATTEMPT TO GET INSIDE A VEHICLE
AND LEAVE THE AREA.
HE TOOK THE SUBJECT INTO
CUSTODY AND WHILE LAYING THE
SUBJECT ON THE GROUND IN THE
DRIVEWAY, HE WAS ABLE TO,
THROUGH HIS PERIPHERAL VISION,
SEE DEPUTY GENTRY LAYING IN THE
LANAI AREA IN FRONT OF THE
RESIDENCE. THEY SECURED THE
GENTLEMAN IN THE BACK OF THE
PATROL CAR AND IMMEDIATELY
ADMINISTERED FIRST-AID TO
DEPUTY GENTRY VIA WHAT THEY
WERE TRAINED TO DO AND CALLED
FOR EMS WHO RESPONDED VERY
QUICKLY.
THEY TRANSPORTED DEPUTY
SHERIFF, WILLIAM GENTRY, TO THE
PLACID LAKES AIRPORT WHERE HE
WAS FLOWN TO LEIGH MEMORIAL
HOSPITAL TO RECEIVE MEDICAL
TREATMENT.
THE SUSPECT IN THIS CASE WAS
TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AND
TRANSPORTED HERE TO THE
HIGHLANDS COUNTY SHERIFF'S
OFFICE FOR QUESTIONING.
AS WE AWAITED SEARCH WARRANTS
FOR THE RESIDENCE AND THE
PROPERTY THEREOF, WE CALL THE
STATE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, THEY
ARRIVED ON SCENE AND WERE WITH
US TO ASSIST THROUGH THE
PROCESS.
AS WE HAVE LEARNED, DEPUTY
SHERIFF WILLIAM GENTRY'S
CONDITION WHILE HE WAS AT LEIGH
MEMORIAL , THE PROGNOSIS WAS
NOT GOOD. SOME OF OUR COMMAND
STAFF WENT THERE TO BE WITH HIS
FAMILY, WE TRANSPORTED WILLIAM
GENTRY'S FAMILY TO THE
HOSPITAL IN LEIGH COUNTY AND
SAT WITH THEM DURING THE
PROCESS WHEN THEY WERE TRYING
TO SAVE HIS LIFE.
AS OF YESTERDAY, 1:10 PM,
DEPUTY SHERIFF WILLIAM GENTRY
WAS PRONOUNCED DECEASED.
THE INVESTIGATION INTO THIS
INCIDENT CONTINUES AND WE WILL
CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT, SINCE
DEPUTY SHERIFF, WILLIAM
GENTRY, HAS BEEN DECEASED, THE
SUSPECTS CHARGES ARE ENHANCED
AND HE IS CHARGED WITH FIRST-
DEGREE MURDER, AS WE SPEAK, THE
JUDGE IS SIGNING THE WARRANT.
THAT IS WHAT HAS GOTTEN US HERE
TODAY AND I WANT TO TAKE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PASS ALONG NOT
ONLY TO YOUR VIEWERS, BUT OUR
CITIZENS HERE IN HIGHLANDS
COUNTY OF WHAT THEY CAN DO TO
HELP US THROUGH THIS AND WHAT
WE CAN DO TO HELP THEM THROUGH
THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.
THESE ARE GOING TO BE THE
SERVICES FOR DEPUTY SHERIFF,
WILLIAM GENTRY . FROM YESTERDAY
UNTIL HE IS LATE IN HIS FINAL
RESTING PLACE, THE PATROL CAR
BEHIND ME WILL BE HERE.
CITIZENS ARE ENCOURAGED TO STOP
BY AND PAY RESPECTS IF THEY
WISH.
AGAIN, THE VEHICLE WILL BE HERE
UNTIL HIS FINAL -- FINAL RESTING
CASE IS DETERMINED.
THERE IS A PLANNED CANDLELIGHT
VIGIL AT 8 PM TOMORROW EVENING
AT FIREMAN'S FIELD WHICH IS DOES
-- JUST DOWN THE ROAD AT THE
FOOTBALL FIELD, IT WILL START AT
8 PM, THE CITIZENS AND ANYONE
ELSE IS WELCOME TO COME BY AND
TAKE PART, WHATEVER CHAPLAINS
WILL SAY A FEW WORDS AND ANYONE
THAT WISHES TO SPEAK ABOUT
DEPUTY GENTRY IS WELCOME TO GET
UP AND DO SUCH.
MONDAY, MAY 14, THERE WILL BE A
PRIVATE VISITATION FOR FAMILY
ONLY.
TUESDAY, MAY 15, AT 11 AM, THIS
IS IMPORTANT TO OUR CITIZENS IN
HIGHLAND COUNTY, WE DO NOT WANT
TO INCONVENIENCE ANYONE BUT
THERE WILL BE A LAW ENFORCEMENT
MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR DEPUTY
GENTRY, WE EXPECT HUNDREDS OF
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS FROM
AROUND THE STATE AND THE NATION
TO BE HERE, THAT SERVICE WILL
BE HELD RIGHT DOWN THE STREET
AT THE HIGHLANDS NEW SUN
CENTER, I SUSPECT IT WILL CAUSE
TRAFFIC ISSUES.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A REASON TO
COME DOWNTOWN TO BE PART OF THE
SERVICE, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT
YOU STAY AWAY THAT DAY TO MAKE
LIFE EASIER ON YOURSELF.
YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO
HIGHLANDS COUNTY SHERIFF, PAUL